Cherry-stemmer



C. E. FORRY.

CHERRY STEMMER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.9, 1921.

1,400,352, Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

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A TTORNEYS.

C. E. FORRY.

CHERRY STEMMER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-9.1921.

1,400,352. Patented M113, 1921.

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C. E. FOHR.Y*

CHERRY STEMMER.

APPLICATION FILED was. 1412M 1 ,400,352, Patented Dec. 13, 1921 5 SHEETS-SHEET a.

ATTORNEYS C. E. FORRY.

CHERRY STEMMER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-9, 1921.

5 SHEETS A TTORNEYS.

KINVENTOR.

r C. E. FORRY.

CHERRY STE MMER.

I APPLICATION FILED AU G.9, I=9'2l. 1,400,352, Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. FORRY, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ARTHUR L. DUNCAN, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

CHERRY-STEMMEB.

1 ,400352, Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 9, 1921.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. FORRY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cherrytemmers, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an improvement in cherry stemmers particularly that type illustrated in Letters Patent of the United States #1365996 granted to me dated January 11th, 1921, and the principal objects of the present invention are to provide a stemmer of the slotted cylinder type wherein the stemming rollers continuously rotate during the rotation of the cylinder, thereby increasing the capacity of the apparatus over an intermittent rotating roller type machine.

Another object is to provide a feeding apparatus in connection with thecylinder for delivering cherries to be stemmed thereto, and to provide in connection with said feed ing apparatus means or baffles for removing the fruit from the feeding apparatus, and delivering it to the cylinder at different points throughout its length, thereby enabling the use of the entire length of the cylinder for the stemming operation in place of just one end, which is the present practice.

With these and other objects in view, which will appear during the description of the apparatus, the invention consists in the novel construction and'combination of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and set forth in the claims hereto appended, it being un derstood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction within the scope of the claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificingany of the advan tages of the invention.

To more fully comprehend the invention, reference is directed to the accompanying drawings, wherein V v V "Figure 1 is a view in elevation taken from the feed end of the apparatus disclosing the preferred embodiment of my present invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the apparatus illustrating particularly the cherry feeding mechanism, the drive there- Serial No. 490,837.

for and the stand or mounting for the cylinder enabling the cylinder to be clownwardly inclined when the stand is resting on a horizontal surface.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on line A-A of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on line B-B F 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view of three of the cylinder slots with their associated pairs of stemming rollers, and

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view of the apparatus taken on line C-C of Fig. 3, disclosing the conveyor with the baffles asso ciated therewith.

Fig. 7 is a view in detail of one of the cylinder supporting rollers.

I Referringmore particularly to the drawings wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts, 1 indicates a supporting table or frame consisting of interconnected and braced corner legs 2. On the upper surface of the frame rests a rectangular support 3, the front wall 4 of which is of greater thicknessthan the rear wall 5, permitting the cylinder hereinafter described which rests thereon to be downwardly inclined from its feed to discharge end. Upwardly from the front and rear walls at and 5 extend respectively the supporting rings 6 and 7 within which are mounted the opposite cylinder end forming rings Sand 9 of the cylinder 10. The ring 6 is formed with an internal gear 11, and at spaced points throughout its periphery the ring 7 carries a plurality of supporting rollers 12 rotatable in pockets 13 therein and carried by supporting pins 14. The end forming ring 8 is inwardly flanged as at 15 at one end to which flange is bolted ring 16 peripherally toothed as at 17. The outer end of said ring 8 is outwardly belleo or flanged, as at 18, providing a portion 19 disposed in alinement with the body of ring 16 and the body of ring 9, as illustrated in Fig. 2 f the drawings. The inner surface of rings 9 and 16 are connected by inwardly curved plates 20 between which are provided spaces 21 forming slots too narrow for the passage of a cherry therethrough, and at the same time permitting the protrusion through the same of the cherry stems.

It will be observed that the slots 21 extend longitudinally of the cylinder, and that Patented Dec. 13, 1921. i

the plates 20 forming the same are transversely bowed inwardly of the cylinder, as in Fig. 5. At the outer side of each slot is mounted a pair of stemming rollers 22, provided with supporting spindles 23 and 24 which extend from the opposite ends, and which are rotatably mounted in suitable bearing openings in their respective rings 9 and 16. The spindles 24 of said rollers are rotatably mounted at their ends in bearing openings in the portion 19 of the ring 8. The spindles 24 of the respective pairs of rollers are intergeared through the gears 25 secured thereto, as illustrated, in Figs. 2 and 4, and one'roller of each pair mounts a gear 26 intermeshing with the internal gear 11 of ring 6, whereby on the rotation of the drum, as hereinafter described, continuous rotation will be imparted to drive the pairs of rollers in the direction of the arrows, Fig. 5 of the drawings. This motionis imparted from gear 11 through the gear 26,

and to the rollers through their respective pairs of gears 25.

It will be observed that the front or forward end ofthe cylinder is supported on the internal gear 11 by the gears 26 and spindles 24. A retaining ring 27 secured to the face of, the ring 6 by the members 28 overlaps the peripheral edge of gears 26, and forms a means for preventing the longitudinal movement of the cylinder within its mounting rings. The inner peripheral edge of ring 27 has sliding contact with a suitable annular finishing plate or member 28 carried by spindles 24 between the inner face of the portion 19 of the outer surface of the ears 26. To enable the cylinder to be easily rotated within the rings, the supporting rollers 12 operate in a peripheral groove 29 in the ring 9. I r

V The cylinder is rotated by a suitable gear 30 intermeshing with the peripheral gear 17 on ring 16 and said gear 30 is carried by a shaft 31 rotatably mounted at one end in a bearing 32 extended upwardly from the ring 6 at its opposite end in-a bearing opening'in the member 33 extended upwardly from the ring 9, said member 33 forming one part of a gear case wall 34 forming a gear case 35 normally closed by a plate 36. The shaft 32 carries a worm gear 37 intermeshing with which is a worm opening 38 on the end of a shaft 39 disposed at right angles to shaft 31, said shaft 39 being mounted in bearings 40, and carrying on its outer end a band wheel or pulley 41.

For feeding cherries to be stemmed into the cylinder, I prefer to use a form of end less conveyer consisting of the supporting frame members 42 extending respectively beyond the front and ends of. the cylinder, and each carrying a pulley 43 around which operate an endless conveyor belt 44, the upper flight of which moves longitudinally through the cylinder, and is supported on a plate 45 mounted on a frame 46. Up- Wardly'from the sides and the forward ends of the plate 45 extend hopper forming walls 7 47 providing a hopper at the feed end of the cylinder, and said hopper is formed with an opening 48 therein through which passes V the upper flight of the belt 44. From one side wall of the hopper extend the baffles 49, 50 and 51 of increasing length, and disposed transversely at an angle across the up per flight of the belt 44 causing a gradual discharge of fruit laterally sidewise of the belt, as indicated by the arrow Fig.6, during the travel of the belt through the cylinder and insuring a feeding of cherries to the cylinder for its full length. The belt is driven by an endless chain 52 operating over a sprocket 53 associated withxone of the pulleys 43 and driven from. a sprocket 54 carried by a shaft 39. The stemmed fruit is received from the discharge end of the cylinder 10 in a trough 55, and the stems are permitted to drop from the rollers during the rotation thereof either onto the lower flight of the belt 44, from which they are removed in any suitable manner, or on to a bed or supporting plate, not shown; 7

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A cherry stemmer including a rotatablymounted cylinder for receiving the fruit and for supporting the same during the stemming thereof and havingits surface. formed with a plurality of slots too small for the passage of the cherry while permitting the projection through them of the stems, pairs of intergeared rollers mounted exteriorly of the cylinder 'adjacentto the slots, means for rotating the cylinder, means for continually rotating the pairs of rollers during the rotation of the cylinder whereby: the same grip the stems projecting through the slots'and pull the same from the cherries. A

2. A cherry stemmer including a rotatably mounted cylinder for receiving thefruit and for supporting the same during the stemming thereof and having its surface formed with a plurality of slots too small for the 11 passage of the cherry while permitting the projection through them of the stems,'pairs of rollers mounted exteriorlyof the cylinder adjacent to the slots, means for rotating the cylinder, means for continually'rotating the pairs of rollers during the rotation of the cylinder whereby the same grip the stems projecting through the slots and pull the same from the cherries, a feed conveyer extending longitudinally through the cylinder, and baiiles co-aoting with the conveyor for discharging cherries therefrom at points. throughout the length of thecylinder.

3. A cherry stemmer including a'rotatably mounted cylinder for receiving and supporting the fruit during the stemming there" of and having its surface formed with a plurality of slots too small for the passage of the cherry while permitting the projection through them of the stems, means cooperating with the slots and disposed exteriorly of the cylinder for gripping the projecting stems to remove the same from the fruit during the rotation of the cylinder, a fruit conveyer extending longitudinally through the cylinder, and battles co-antina with the conveyer for discharging fruit therefrom into the cylinder at spaced points throughout its length.

4. A cherry stemmer including a rotatably mounted cylinder for receiving and supporting the fruit during the stemming thereof and having its surface formed with a plurality of slots too small for the passage of the cherry, while permitting the projection through them of the stems, an annular gear carried by the cylinder, a drive pinion engaging said gear for rotating the cylinder, pairs of rollers exteriorly of the cylinder adj acent said slots, intermeshing gears associated with the rollers of each pair, a driving gear associated with one roller of each pair, and an internally toothed drive gear ring with which said drive gears intermesh for imparting rotation to the respective pairs of rollers during the rotation of said cylinder.

5. A cherry stemmer including a rotatably mounted cylinder for receiving and supporting the fruit during the stemming thereof and having its surface formed with a plurality of slots too small for the passage of the cherry, while permitting the projection through them of the stems, an annular gear carried by the cylinder, a drive pinion engaging said gear for rotating the cylinder, pairs of rollers exteriorly of the cylinder adjacent said slots, intermeshing gears associated with the rollers of each pair, a driving gear associated with one roller of each pair, an internally toothed drive gear ring with which said drive gears intermesh for imparting rotation to the respective pairs of rollers during the rotation of said cylinder, an endless fruit feeding conveyer extending through the cylinder, a support for the conveyer and extending through, the cylinder, means for driving said conveyer, and bafiles extending across the conveyer for forcing cherries transversely there of into the cylinder at points throughout the length of the cylinder.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

CHARLES E. FORRY. 

